Enhancing skill in constructing scientific explanations using a structured argumentation scaffold in scientific inquiry

Constructing scientific explanations is necessary for students to engage in scientific inquiry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of using a structured argumentation scaffold to enhance skill in constructing scientific explanations in the process of scientific inquiry. The proposed approach is designed to scaffold the following aspects of argumentation: the argumentation process, the explanation structuring, explanation construction, and explanation evaluation. A quasi-experiment was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the structured argumentation scaffold in developing skill in constructing scientific explanations and engaging in electronic dialogues. A web-based collaborative synchronous inquiry system, ASIS (Argumentative Scientific Inquiry System), was utilized to support students as they worked in groups to carry out inquiry tasks. Two intact sixth grade classes (n = 50) participated in the study. The data show that the ASIS with the structured argumentation scaffold helped students significantly improve their skills in constructing scientific explanations, make more dialogue moves for explanation and query, and use more of all four argument components. In addition, the use of warrants, one of the components of an argument, was found to be a critical variable in predicting students' competence with regard to constructing scientific explanations. The results provide references for further research and system development with regard to facilitating students' construction of scientific argumentation and explanations.     

Beyond information seeking: Consumers’ online deliberation about the risks and benefits of red meat

Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and more effective communication about food-related risks and benefits. Using an online deliberation concept and software, VIZZATA™, we explored the validity of a behavioral measure of deliberation in an online environment in the context of consumers’ perceptions and information seeking about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants from Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom (n = 150) were given the opportunity to engage in an asynchronous interaction with the research team about the information provided. Online deliberation was operationalized as an individual metric based on the number of questions asked in relation to the information, the number of comments left, the number of glossary terms accessed, and the time spent on deliberative activity. This operationalization provided a coherent measure of deliberation which was positively correlated with information recall about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants who perceived the information about red meat risks and benefits as too complex engaged less with the information. The study herewith presents a novel method of investigating consumers’ deliberation about food issues that conceptualizes consumer engagement as more than just information seeking.     

A robust adaptive weighted constant modulus algorithm for blind equalization of wireless communications systems under impulsive noise environment

A robust adaptive weighted constant modulus algorithm is proposed for blind equalization of wireless communication systems under impulsive noise environment. The influence of the impulsive noise is analyzed based on numerical analysis method. Then an adaptive weighted constant modulus algorithm is constructed to adaptively suppress impulsive noise. Theoretical analysis is provided to illustrate that the proposed algorithm has a robust equalization performance since the impulsive noise is adaptively suppressed. Moreover, the proposed algorithm has stable and quick convergence due to avoidance of large misadjuntment and adoption of large step size. Simulation results are presented to show the robust equalization performance and the fast convergence speed of the proposed algorithm under both impulsive noise and Gaussian noise environments.     

The Influence of Digital Multimedia Communication Forms on Graphic Design

Today, highly sophisticated technology has changed the lives of most individuals worldwide. In the field of graphic design, the emergence and development of digital multimedia communication forms have had a crucial impact on the creative process of graphic design and even the process of communication, offering more opportunities and more exciting challenges to this domain. And with the continuous improvement of people’s material culture and spiritual culture, the digital age has enriched people’s production and life. Especially in the application of digital multimedia in graphic design, the changes caused by the emergence of digital multimedia focus mainly on the visual expression. With the continuous application of digital multimedia communication forms, the graphic design closely related to it has been affected to some extent. In order to meet the changing data needs of people, graphic design has also begun to adjust accordingly. Therefore, this paper analyzes the relationship between digital multimedia and graphic design from the perspective of art design, systematically determines the relationship between multimedia and graphic design specific design subjects, and studies the influence of digital multimedia technology on graphic design.     

基于对数螺旋曲线的宽带高仰角HF小型化通信天线

介绍一种工作在3~30 MHz的宽带、圆极化、高仰角、短波小型化天线。天线以对数螺旋线为基本结构,具有底端RLC集总元件的复合加载结构,并采用矩量法进行天线设计和优化。天线尺寸在25 m×25 m×10 m范围内。实践表明,该天线具有占地小、架设简便、效率高、200 km范围内无盲区等优点,可广泛应用于短波机动通信领域。     

UEs Power Reduction Evolution with Adaptive Mechanism over LTE Wireless Networks

At present, the major drawback for mobile phones is the issue of power consumption. As one of the alternatives to decrease the power consumption of standard, power-hungry location-based services usually require the knowledge of how individual phone features consume power. A typical phone feature is that the applications related to multimedia streaming utilize more power while receiving, processing, and displaying the multimedia contents, thus contributing to the increased power consumption. There is a growing concern that current battery modules have limited capability in fulfilling the long-term energy need for the progress on the mobile phone because of increasing power consumption during multimedia streaming processes. Considering this, in this paper, we provide an offline meaning sleep-mode method to compute the minimum power consumption comparing with the power-on solution to save power by implementing energy rate adaptation (RA) mechanism based on mobile excess energy level purpose to save battery power use. Our simulation results show that our RA method preserves efficient power while achieving better throughput compared with the mechanism without rate adaptation (WRA).     

基于WaveMesh的煤矿井下无线应力在线监测系统

设计了基于WaveMesh的井下无线应力在线监测系统;系统可在井下完成压力检测并现场显示数据,与监测子站间通过WaveMesh无线通讯技术,可显示每个测点的通讯和压力情况,并将数据通过井下以太环网传送到地面中心站,最终通过监测分析软件实现实时监测和报警。     

基于4G通信的尾矿库安全在线监测系统研究及应用

本文总结了尾矿库安全在线监测系统的通信技术及其应用的局限性,提出了基于4G通信技术的尾矿库安全在线监测系统架构,说明了分布式一体化数据采集传输单元的设计方案和优点；通过具体应用案例介绍了分布式一体化数据采集单元的应用效果。本文对4G通信技术的应用推广和提高矿山安全在线监测系统稳定性具有较大的现实意义。     

Facilitated discussions increase learning gains from dialectically localized animated educational videos in Niger

ABSTRACT

This study measured the knowledge transfer and appeal of information and communication technologies (ICTs) used to deliver education for sustainable development (ESD) content to farmers in Niger experiencing major crop losses from the insect pest Maruca vitrata. ICT-ESD content consisted of two dialectically localized and animated videos that address food security problems of cowpea insect herbivory and the shortage of integrated pest management strategies in rural Niger. Comparing pre-test/post-test knowledge transfer for both animated videos when either (1) watched alone (AVO), or (2) in conjunction with a facilitated group discussion prior to post-testing (AVD), results from 90 farmers in 3 rural Nigerien villages showed statistically significant knowledge transfer in both AVO and AVD groups and still greater gains in the AVD group. Importantly, while a majority of participants expressed a preference for learning from such animated videos and a willingness to share their new knowledge and the videos with others, this finding did not statistically significantly associate with education level, supporting the idea that AVO/AVD is an inclusive strategy for low-literate learners within developing-nation contexts. Recommendations and theoretical implications for ICT-ESD implementations in resource-limited areas are also discussed.